Weekly River & Hatches Update
June is absolutely my favourite month to be on the river amongst the abundantly green English countryside. The fish are picky as the moment, so the best thing to do this month is to adapt your tactics and choices accordingly. This will be especially true if we continue with the dry spell that we are having at the moment – river flows are reducing which often makes trout skittish. With sunset around 9.30pm this is often the time of year to stay as late as you can as the fish feed when the sun comes off the water.
Weather:
Ok, again it is going to be a hot weekend, but thankfully getting a bit cooler midweek with a high of 24 by the end of the week. Gentle breezes from the southwest , with sunny spells. The sun officially sets after 9pm. Sunrise: 04:56 GMT. Sunset 21:23 GMT. UV: Very High, Pollution: Low. Pressure: 1014mb.
River Flows:
The river flows currently range between normal and below normal as rated by the Environment Agency. Thankfully, the riverbanks are dry, so in most cases walking boots will suffice, though a pair of wellies or thigh waders might just help coax your quarry to the water’s edge.
Hatches:
My general rule for late June is to be eclectic in your fly choices and be prepared to change a lot, with everything from a size 10 French Partridge down to a size 18 Greenwell’s Glory with a variety of sedges and unwinged flies in between with no single fly predominating. Where you cannot yet nymph work those deep fish. It is amazing from how far below, once you get the right fly, they will move from.
Fly Patterns:
Now is generally the time we start to turn to smaller dry fly patterns to outwit our wily quarry. At the front of my fly box this week will be Blue Winged Olive (BWO), Klinkhammer, Grey Wulff and Elk Hair Caddis.
Our Seasonal tips:
As a general rule, we would expect surface action timings to be determined by the weather on the day, again generally warm and sunny with no rain forecast this coming week. Think harder about lighter tippets, concealment and keeping the sun to your face. Shadows and line flash will give you away in a moment. Be prepared to change your fly often; if your target fish ignores a fly more than twice, change size or fly.
News, events and catch reports:
